Children brave Cyclone Pam without their mum

For Agnes, aged 10, and Devina, who’s eight, Cyclone Pam was frightening - not just because of the howling wind and torrential rain but because they were separated from their Mum.

Laitonga Syrus, a kindergarten teacher, was running a training session for other teachers on a small island near her home when the sea started to get rough.

“I rang another teacher who was also doing a training on another island and he told me we would need to stay.

“He said it was too dangerous to go back…so during Cyclone Pam I stayed in the classroom of the school.”

Across the sea Laitonga’s daughters were also sheltering in a classroom – the one their mother normally teaches in.

“I was very worried about my daughters…I just wanted to know they were okay, but the lines were down and I had to wait until the boat could leave the next morning."

With their father Kevin, Agnes and Devina found shelter in the local primary school and as the roof started to lift off from the strong winds, Kevin huddled his girls into the doorway where he held on to them and the doorway for dear life.

Being separated from her daughters was just as terrifying as experiencing the category five cyclone for Laitonga.

“I was very worried about my daughters…I just wanted to know they were okay, but the lines were down and I had to wait until the boat could leave the next morning.

“I was so relieved they were okay...I gave them a big hug,” she said.

Agnes and Devina were also pleased to see their Mum.

“I was very happy to see her, I was very scared,” Agnes said.

While the reunion was joyful and a relief for Lationga and her family their village was severely damaged by Cyclone Pam.

“Most of the houses in the village are destroyed…the school is very badly damaged.”

Agnes and Devina are now sleeping under a large thatched building that miraculously survived Cyclone Pam.

In their village, children like Agnes and Devina are now sleeping under a large thatched building that miraculously survived Cyclone Pam.

The shelter, with no walls, is by the sea and open to the elements. Agnes and Devina are sleeping close to where the villagers cook their meals.

After Cyclone Pam, World Vision delivered shelter kits to the village, so families like the Syrus’ can start constructing a temporary home and rebuilding their lives together.

“These will help us so we can be protected by the wind…my daughters can feel like we have a home again,” Laitonga said.

You can help support parents like Laitonga and Kevin to re-build after Cyclone Pam.